Summary
The Changeling treads a very fine line between the foreboding and the outlandish. The flashback sequences are captivating and creepy, while Apollo’s subplot in the present day does the heavy lifting, offloading the fantastical backstory. This is harder to take seriously, yet the episode ends with a truly sinister transformation from William’s character.
The Changeling has slowly crept into the fantasy realm over the course of its last few episodes. In season 1, episode 5, Apollo (LaKeith Stanfield) is given a tour of the island, as their leader, Cal (Sonia Dhillon Tully), explains these more fantastical elements. Meanwhile, flashbacks explore Emma’s (Clark Backo) breakdown from her specific point of view.
Episode 5 begins with Emma’s flashbacks. She is found alone backpacking in the Brazilian rainforest. Emma spies the witch at the lagoon and then speaks with the locals about her. The locals say that the lagoon is haunted and warn Emma to stay away. Of course, she doesn’t listen and is granted her three wishes.
Leif Knudsen?
Viewers are also shown her interactions with the Norwegian photographer, Leif Knudsen. They walk through an abandoned, overgrown building together. Leif asks to take her photograph. Emma declines but then takes one on her own. She strips and stares into the camera’s lens. It’s a haunting image indeed. The photograph eventually ends up in Anders Knudsen’s art gallery.
Back in the present, Apollo and William are awoken by Cal, still locked inside their prison cells. William has completely changed overnight, though. He now appears unhinged, spouting facts about Cal and her life. He thinks she is called Pearl Walker, and he knows all her history.
It is revealed that it was, in fact, William who killed his daughter, not his wife Gretta. Apollo is confused and overwhelmed by this revelation.
William says that Cal is a witch and that she is lying to them. Cal confirms that Gretta is coming to the island to kill William herself.
Cal offers Apollo a second chance. He is freed and given a tour of the island community. Cal passes Apollo his precious childhood book, To the Waters and the Wild, the one his father gave him. Cal talks to Apollo about Emma; his wife tells Cal everything about him.
Further flashbacks follow Emma’s continued breakdown. She feared that she was losing her identity and wasn’t the person she used to be.
Emma speaks openly with her baby, certain that it is not her own. She contacts The Wise Moms on their message board, pleading with them for answers.
Cal replies to her in a private chat. She asks Emma if she is receiving any disappearing text messages. Emma is shocked to see this and tells Cal that she is. Cal offers to help her.
Suddenly, Emma receives a message from an unknown sender, calling Cal a witch. This could be William, going off of the previous scenes on the island. Emma screenshots the message, but it is quickly deleted.
Back on the island, Apollo struggles to comprehend Cal’s riddles. She implies that the island is actually in a different world. Apollo is shown around the school and the library before being taken to the dining area. Cal reveals that Emma restocked the library herself, taking a boat back and forth from the island.
The Changeling Season 1 (Credit – Apple TV+)
What does the baby do to Emma?
In flashbacks, Emma’s condition worsens. She struggles to look after her baby. The baby laughs and snarls at her, even biting her at one point. Emma readies herself for the ungodly act that she must commit, but she also turns to the church, hoping to baptize Brian to protect him from the evils around her. Of course, Apollo forbids her from going through with this baptism.
Cal informs Apollo in the present that he is now living in an ugly fairy tale story of his own. A story he cannot escape from. Apollo admits that he regrets his actions, feeling guilty about how he treated Emma.
He misses her greatly. Apollo then asks to speak with Gretta.
What was William lying about?
Gretta arrives that night. She confirms that William killed her daughter. Gretta says how William won’t stop harassing her and her family. He sent her the To Kill a Mockingbird book, but he had defaced it, writing his dead daughter’s name on every page. Gretta also discloses that he stole the $70k from her out of her bank account. Apollo is shocked to hear all this from Gretta’s perspective. William lied about his daughter, the book, and the money.
The Changeling Season 1 Episode 5 Ending Explained
Angered by William’s lies, Apollo marches over to the man’s prison cell to confront him face-to-face. Apollo points out all of William’s lies.
The man hides in the shadows, ranting about how William is not his true name and how he found a community of like-minded individuals. He believes there he found his true identity.
William comes out of the shadows, looking practically deranged. He says that Apollo knows his true name. Apollo responds with the name Kinder Garten.
Then, in the final scene, a flashback reveals the exact moment that William first came across Emma’s photograph hanging in the art gallery window.
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